#nature

#nature

The New River Gorge's moist, shaded forests are an ideal habitat for flowers that color the hillsides in April and early May, making it an excellent time to see the gorge in bloom.

Wales has a beautiful roughness to it. Its beauty is not immediate and hard-won; visitors will have to trek, drive and withstand the rain in order to find it. But it's worth every step of the journey.

Ghana is home to me - it's where I grew up, from the age of four until I returned to England for university - but its contrasts always surprise me. Below, waves crash violently into jutting rocks, but those rocks also form a protective circle, creating a pool calm enough for a child to play in.

These water-women are beings of transformation, embodying sensuality, cosmic energy, and the transmission of matrilineal knowledge.

Abiqua Falls is a stunning 92-foot waterfall that tumbles over a wall of columnar basalt into a wide pool, perfect for swimming. The surrounding area features a pebbled beach that provides breathtaking views of the falls and lush greenery.

David Morrison continues his hyperrealistic explorations of flowers, seeds, and plants, capturing the intricacies and alluring textures found throughout nature in lush colored pencil.

Thoreau responded to the technological upheavals and social strife of the mid-1800s by choosing to temporarily step away from the everyday turbulence of that time to live more simply, thoughtfully, and purposefully.

Achaphubuil, a tiny hamlet, is surrounded by mountains and ancient forest, making it an ideal location for artists seeking beauty, privacy, and peace.

The first step to sustainability is seeing that there is no boundary between you and nature. When we see this essential connection and reverse the artificial disconnections created over millennia, people can imagine a future where we all thrive with a regenerated ecosystem.

Witnessing the presence of God at a bus stop in 2011, I felt overwhelmed by something indescribably majestic, which bared my soul to a profound realization.

The artwork, called We Move Through Scales of Blue, will comprise four photographic pieces installed alongside the escalators at both stations. As people go up and down, the images appear to shift and change.

Goblin Valley State Park is often overlooked and relatively undiscovered, making it a perfect alternative for those seeking solitude away from crowded tourist spots like Bryce Canyon.

Research consistently shows that access to green space can significantly boost wellbeing, with studies linking time spent in gardens and parks to lower cortisol levels, improved mood, and sharper cognitive function.

Circle View Guest Ranch is a family-owned and operated B&B just a few minutes outside of Badlands National Park, ideal for those who value long park days.

A few years ago, I climbed over a gate and found myself gazing down at a valley. After I'd been walking for a few minutes, looking at the fields and the sky, there was a shift in my perception. Everything around me became intensely real. The fields and the bushes and trees and the clouds seemed more vivid, more intricate and beautiful.

Go these days to any independent bookshop or art gallery or zine fair, and you may find yourself asking: where are the humans? Title after title is devoted to clay and stone, trees and flowers, the riverine and the botanical, gardens and allotments. They share a vocabulary: care, tending, grounding, rootedness, nourishment, regeneration. Nature, however battered, is held up as an antidote to morbid modernity, its alienations, its amnesia.

Nature is truly amazing, but it is also terrifying. Being the homebody that I am, I'm always wondering what would happen if I were ever in a situation where I'd have to survive out in the wild. It's tough out there, y'all. And it's important to know how to make it out alive. Do you think you have what it takes? Take this quiz to find out if you're a born forest lover, or you're better off on the couch like I am. Let's go!

The American Psychological Association's annual Stress in America survey has highlighted, what they call, a "crisis of connection." The survey finds that 62% of adults find societal division a significant source of stress in their lives. Moreover, half of Americans report feelings of emotional disconnection, including social isolation; feeling "left out;" and a lack of companionship. I hear similar themes from my adult patients every week. The irony is that most people want connection, but they can't seem to find each other.

There is great irony in the fact that we tend to associate the winter holiday season with busyness, stress, and overwhelm. While we are rushing and doing, the natural world around us is in a completely oppositional state-resting, slowing down, cooling, hibernating, restoring itself.

Oslo is also one of Europe's greenest capitals, with over two-thirds of it comprising forests, lakes or parks. The nature here, though not as dramatic as the otherworldly landscapes of Norway's north, is still incredibly scenic with pretty islands dotted around the glassy Oslofjord and moss-strewn, fairytale forests. It feels like a city where you can live well, unburdened by tourists and distinctly cosmopolitan, though still very much in line with the Norwegian philosophy of friluftsliv or 'open-air living'

This week's quote comes from Duke Senior's speech in Shakespeare's As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 1. Let's enjoy the hidden experience that attentive time in nature reveals. It can unlock wonder, awe, and insight. "And this our life, exempt from public haunt, Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and good in everything."

In these times of divisiveness, negative news cycles, and gloomy winter months, it can feel hard to keep our spirits up. But you have way more power over your state of mind than you realize, as my colleagues and I have researched and as I discuss in my new book SOVEREIGN: Reclaim Your Freedom, Energy, and Power in a Time of Distraction, Uncertainty, and Chaos.

Born in Beijing, in 1982, she wound up at New York University's film school, where she studied under Spike Lee. Starting in 2015, she directed three small-scale, slow-burn features set in the American heartland: "Songs My Brothers Taught Me," "The Rider," and "Nomadland." All three capture the expansive beauty of the West-in particular South Dakota, with its moonlike badlands and wide, grassy plains-while using local nonprofessional actors to achieve documentary-like naturalism.

The Street Where Santa Lives by Harriet Howe and Julia Christians, Little Tiger, 12.99 When an old man moves in on a busy street, only his little neighbour notices; with his white beard and round belly, she's convinced he's Santa. But when Santa falls ill, other neighbours must rally round to take care of him. Will he be better in time for Christmas? This sweet, funny, acutely observed picture book is a festive, joyous celebration of community.

As the season of gratitude approaches, most of us begin to think about the people, opportunities, and experiences that enrich our lives. These matter deeply. But in my work exploring the rewilding of the human mind, I've found that one of the greatest sources of support in our lives is something we rarely acknowledge-because it's all around us, all the time.